Tao Okamoto
Tao Okamoto
Hannibal, The Wolverine
Tao Okamoto (known professionally as Tao) was born in Chiba, Japan on May 22nd, 1985 and started modeling as a teenager in Japan. In 2006, she made a decision to move to Paris and develop her career on an international level. Soon after that, Tao made her debut on the European runways, breaking barriers as one of the very few prominent East Asian models of that era. Throughout her long catwalk career, she has walked for numerous top brands.
In 2009, Tao moved to New York City and made waves in the industry by donning a unique bowl haircut. It became an inspirational look and even prompted designer Phillip Lim to model the hairstyle of his entire Fall/Winter 2009 show's cast after Tao's cut.
Her outstanding runway presence often led her towards lucrative advertising and editorial projects. As a result, she has fronted campaigns with a number of the top international designers.
Tao is widely recognized as one of the top models to ever come from Japan, having won honors such as "Model of the Year" from the Japan Fashion Editor's Club.
She continues to develop her career in arenas both within and beyond fashion. In 2011, she was part of a collaborative effort to raise funds and awareness for the victims of the Touhoku earthquake and tsunami. In 2013, Tao made her debut in the film world, starring as the female lead Mariko Yashida opposite Hugh Jackman in 20th Century Fox's THE WOLVERINE (also known as WOLVERINE: SAMURAI).
In 2014, Tao signed on for a major guest-arc on the upcoming Season 3 of NBC's HANNIBAL (Summer 2015). She'll play the role of Lady Murasaki, a mysterious beauty with a dark secret. She also filmed Zack Snyder's superhero epic, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (Coming: March 25, 2016), as Mercy Graves, Lex Luthor's (Jesse Eisenberg) personal assistant and bodyguard from Superman: The Animated Series.
While Tao already possesses an extensive career across multiple platforms, her hope is to utilize her experiences to help build bridges across multiple nations and cultures. For her, to serve as an ambassador for unity and battle against discrimination would be the greatest honor of all.
Tao Okamoto's Official Website
Tao Okamoto at the Internet Movie Database